I’ve spent the last ten days waiting to feel better.  Post clot-busting surgery, the prognosis for recovery was a week of laying low and then a gradual start back into some light exercise.  The first day out of the hospital I was pretty sore.  Having a catheter jammed up your leg is bound to make any vein cranky.  Day two was more positive, I felt better, and walking around was much less painful.  “Sweet,” I thought, “I’m on the mend!”   Then day three was a step backward.  My leg was swollen again and much more sore.  I figured I had probably overdone the amount of walking around the previous day, and resorted back to the couch with my leg up.

On day four, I went in for a follow-up visit with a cardiologist.  My leg had been very achy and painful through the night and I shared my concern with the doctor.  He felt the pain was normal for recovery from such an aggressive procedure, and told me that I should expect the leg to be painful for the next week or so.  The treatment from here on out would be focused on getting my INR (International Normalized Ratio - a way to measure the thinness of the blood) into a therapeutic range.  Dealing with the pain was no problem once I was sure it wasn’t causing any harm.

The next several days were pretty similar.  My leg continued to be achy.  I just had to be patient.

This past Thursday, one week post surgery, I went in for another follow-up visit.  The results from the blood tests performed in Fairbanks were back.  It turns out I have a genetic mutation called Factor V Leiden that makes my blood more susceptible to clotting.  This would factor into my treatment plan, and I was referred to a hematologist for more answers.  An appointment was made for Monday.

On Saturday I attended a ski clinic put on by my friend Lars Flora. Usually I head out onto the trails with the little kids and have fun goofing around on the snow.  This year however, I was stuck in the lodge.   I spent my time inside explaining to parents and friends how I was feeling and what the prognosis was for recovery from my clot.  Everyone has been so caring and supportive, it’s amazing.  I missed being out on the trails, but at least I could still see the excitement in the kids eyes when they returned in from their ski.   It was a fun distraction.

By Sunday I felt like my leg was actually starting to feel a little better.  I could walk with less of a limp, and I could stand for longer without the tired, achy feel.  My spirits lifted a little.

Then we come to Monday, and the much anticipated visit with the hematologist.  The first part of the visit was very positive.  Despite having the Factor V Leiden disfunction, I would most likely be off Coumadin (a blood thinner) after six months.  By correcting some environmental factors (i.e. staying off hormonal birth control and  by staying active and hydrated during travel), I should be able to avoid future clots.  The doctor recommended that I go see a blood clot specialist in Oregon that has worked with athletes, as an added measure.  Then, just before leaving, he recommended that I get a follow-up ultrasound.  So I headed to the other end of the hospital and checked in with the Radiology department.

A friendly ultrasound tech then performed the ultrasound procedure up and down my left leg, while Jeff tried to understand what he was seeing on the monitor.  Having no clue how it went, we went back to the hematologist and waited for a report.  It took a little while for radiology to call back, and we ended up grabbing lunch in the hospital cafe while we waited.  Then finally we got the news:  the clot had reformed, and I needed to go back in for another surgical procedure of lytic therapy to once again break up the clot.  An appointment was made for 11:30am the following day.

So, I’m headed back to the hospital tomorrow.  The catheter is going back in the leg, along with the angiojet and more clot-busting drugs.  The doctors will again try to widen the compressed vein with the angioplasty balloons.  Due to the poisionous nature of the clot-busting drugs, I will most likely spend another night in the ICU, and then begin the healing process all over.  It’s back to square one.  Doh!

We’re crossing our fingers that this next procedure is more successful at removing all the clot and that this next recovery period will move a little faster.

Thank you everyone for sharing your stories and words of encouragement!

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